"It was almost as if people were afraid to say, 'I really like that group,' because we were three girls bouncing around," says Bruno, who sang lead on hits Let Me Be the One, What You Don't Know and Tell Me Why.

"There was just something, I guess, cheesy about it. We were constantly trying to stand up for ourselves. ... It was like combat every day."

Longtime fans recognized the group's musical stamp. Those three perky girls were largely responsible for ushering freestyle into the mainstream.

It's a beat-driven genre of music that combines dramatic vocals and romantic lyrics with electro, hip-hop and Latin percussion. (You can hear it in early Madonna singles Sidewalk Talk and Burnin' Up.)

Freestyle reached big audiences in New York City, Miami, Chicago and throughout Texas via acts such as Sa-Fire, Lisa Lisa, Company B, Sweet Sensation and Stevie B. But Exposé took the sound and combined it with a pop sensibility.

"I do believe that they have been somewhat overlooked. The industry and the public is pretty much focused on what is going on today," says Alex Carmenates, aka DJ Cubanito, a proponent of the freestyle genre.

"Exposé reached a lot of music enthusiasts across the globe. To this day there has not been another girl group that sounded quite like them."

Encouraged by enduring fan interest, Exposé reunited in September 2006 for a "Freestyle Explosion" concert at the American Airlines Arena in Miami. That show led to a continuing series of live dates across the country. It's the first time the trio has toured together in almost two decades.

"We just want to sing those songs that people want to hear," Bruno says. "They want to remember. They want to remember those times in their lives, and so do we."

The group will zip through giddy hits Point of No Return, Come Go With Me and others Friday at Planeta Bar-Rio in Houston alongside Angel, former lead singer of freestyle group the Cover Girls, and DJ Cubanito.

Getting back on stage had been a goal for several years, but motherhood caused its delay. Jurado and Curless each have three children, all under the age of 8; Bruno has a 20-year-old daughter.

Bruno had other obstacles to face. She permanently left the group in the summer of 1991 and was diagnosed with a benign throat tumor. She was unable to speak for almost three years but eventually regained her voice. (She was replaced by singer Kelly Moneymaker for the group's final album in 1992.)

There's also an ongoing legal battle over aspects of the group's identity. Crystal Entertainment & Filmworks of Miami is suing the group over rights to the name Exposé and claims the group has violated a trademark licensing agreement. There are also legal issues regarding music and live performances.

"It's fighting tooth and nail every day," Bruno says. "We're just three girls who want to get onstage and sing. It's not like we're spinning the world the other way."

Bruno, Jurado and Curless are soldiering on with what everyone hopes may turn into a full-on reinvention.

"In the past, we were kind of puppets, in a sense. We were told what to do. We had no rights whatsoever," Bruno says. "This time around, we know what's right and what's not."